What is ME/CFS?

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)

ME/CFS is a complex and disabling chronic illness affecting an estimated 17 million people worldwide. Conservatively, an estimated 101,000 Australians have ME/CFS, though it could be as high as 240,000. An estimated twenty five percent of these people are housebound, and many are confined to bed – unable to care for the simplest of their own needs. ME/CFS is still poorly understood by science. Currently, there is no cure, nor any approved treatments. Whilst many people with ME/CFS may improve with time, recovery rates are very low.

ME/CFS is considered an invisible illness as, in the majority of cases, there are no outward signs of the illness. It is also invisible as those who are most unwell are largely not seen outside their homes, and are often unable to have visitors.

ME/CFS impacts on the entire body, including brain function, cardiac function, the immune system and the nervous system. As a result sufferers experience many challenging symptoms, such as:

Debilitating pain and fatigue

Inability to think clearly

Sensitivity to the environment, including light, noise, odours and touch

TED talk: What happens when you have a disease doctors can’t diagnose | Jennifer Brea

Five years ago, TED Fellow Jen Brea became progressively ill with myalgic encephalomyelitis, commonly known as chronic fatigue syndrome, a debilitating illness that severely impairs normal activities and on bad days makes even the rustling of bed sheets unbearable. In this poignant talk, Brea describes the obstacles she’s encountered in seeking treatment for her condition, whose root causes and physical effects we don’t fully understand, as well as her mission to document through film the lives of patients that medicine struggles to treat. Published on Jan 17, 2017

Forgotten Plague – Documentary (Official Trailer)

Ryan Prior’s life imploded October 22, 2006 when he was struck down by a disease that dozens of doctors were powerless to diagnose, let alone treat. Against great odds, he becomes a reporter and ventures to tell the story of his suffering and improbable recovery. He is shocked that millions globally remain sidelined by the same disease, many bedridden for decades.

Carte Blanche: Missing Millions

It’s a mysterious illness that is notoriously difficult to diagnose and even describe. It causes debilitating fatigue and makes normal everyday activities such as getting out of bed, an impossible task. Affecting millions of people worldwide and after years of research, doctors are finally closer to finding a cause for this crippling disease. Carte Blanche looks into Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – also known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.

Invisible Illness – Stories of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

This mini documentary tells the stories of three people who have been impacted by Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – a devastating, energy-sapping disease that affects roughly 836,000-2.5 million people in the U.S. and receives little research funding. Video by Veronica Weber/Palo Alto Online

Whitney Dafoe Palo Alto Online 2015 video – short

Shortened version of a July 2015 video from Palo Alto Online

“Canary In a Coal Mine” Examines Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Now named Unrest, this Canary in a Coal Mine video introduces you to Jen Brea’s documentary.

Channel 9 NCNED 21st Feb 2017

Australian researchers at NCNED, Griffith University, make a breakthrough discovery.

Trailer for Voices from the Shadows

The trailer for ‘Voices from the Shadows’, winner of the Mill Valley International Documentary Audience award – bears witness to the tragic consequences of psychiatric prejudice and medical ignorance about one of the most prevalent illness of the 21st Century. A film by Josh Biggs and Natalie Boulton with music by David Poore. www.voicesfromtheshadowsfilm.co.uk.

BBC: Interview with prof. Simon Carding on ME/CFS

Researchers in Norwich are teaming up with researchers from Norway to collaborate on ME/CFS research. The researchers say that they believe ME is reversible, and that treatment could be available in the future.

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